1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wall hangers for extreme recreational sports boards and, in particular, to a wall hanger system with a pair of spaced hooks mounted adjustably on a wall rail with spacers to maintain the boards away from the surface of the wall, and, additional padded hanging straps with loops for retaining additional boards away from the wall surface especially adapted for surfboards, wakeboards, snowboards, and skateboards.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Storage and display are always problems in any home or business. There never seems to be enough space to store everything in a way that makes access easy for retrieving the stored items.
Some items which are used constantly or having particular meaning or attractive appearance are desirable to store in visible locations with very easy access. Surfboards, wakeboards, snowboards and skate boards fall into all of these categories for avid users of these devices.
Wall storage can be a good solution for items such as these. The items stored on the wall are highly visible and easily accessible. To preserve space, it is desirable to store the boards flat against the wall so that the boards do not stick out, away from the wall. This wall proximity can result in the damage or marring of either the wall or the boards, especially when these recreational devices are used outdoors and are likely to have dirt, tar or other matter on the surface of the boards that would make hard to remove spots on the wall, if the boards came into contact with the wall surface.
Another problem is the board itself, which is often made of somewhat soft material, subject to denting and scratching. Storing the boards in a support system which does not scratch or dent or mar the surface of the board is desirable.
Some attempts have been made at wall storage for various types of boards. None have solved the problem of providing a simple, inexpensive wall hanging hook for hanging a board which will, at the same time, keep the board from contacting the wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,915, issued Sep. 1, 1998 to Morey, provides wall-mounted brackets for snowboards having a U-shaped configuration to support the board between two brackets. The Morey patent differs in that the outer plate of the bracket pivots open and closed and a top bracket is also used to secure the other edge of the board stored horizontally on the brackets. The brackets lack the features allowing storage of a broad range of boards and fail to provide padding for the soft resin surface of surfboards.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,123, issued Jan. 21, 1992 to Lamb, shows a pair of wall-mounted brackets for surfboards or sailboards, as well as bicycles and other sports apparatus. While the brackets angle out from the wall, there is no tapered opening to accommodate different sizes of boards. There is no padding provided for soft boards.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,079, issued Nov. 10, 1998 to Roberts, shows a surfboard (snowboard, skateboard, wakeboard, water ski, and snow ski) rack having two spaced apart wall-mounted bases each having two outwardly angled pegs attached for holding two boards. The pegs are covered with rope or foam or other material to accommodate the soft surface of surf boards. There is no retaining tapered opening to accommodate different size boards. Because of the almost horizontal angle, the boards would stick out quite a ways from the wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,701,436, issued Oct. 31, 1972 to Adams, claims a water ski (or snow ski or other equipment) rack having two spaced apart brackets angled outwardly. The rack mounts to a boat or land vehicle and has two slots in each bracket and tie-down straps. Each bracket is plugged into a socket with a spring clip for easy insertion and removal. No padding is provided for soft board surfaces and no angled opening for various board sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,310, issued Mar. 27, 1990 to Raishe and U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,325, issued Apr. 5, 1988 to Remmers, both show holders somewhat similar in shape to those of the present invention, but for entirely different purposes. Neither has a tapered opening or padding.
None of the patents found provide a wall-mounted pair of hangers which are adequately spaced from the wall to accommodate the flip or kick tail of a skateboard. None provide an angled slot to accommodate different board sizes. Only one provides padding, but it lacks all of the other features.